February 8, 2024

Dear Central Church, 

If you’ve ever seen Alice in Wonderland, you may remember this little exchange from the Cheshire Cat and Alice: 

 “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where–” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“–so long as I get SOMEWHERE,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”

Despite the fact that cats have a knack for always finding their way home, I doubt we are going to take directions from a talking feline. However, the cat is right: keep walking long enough, and you will end up somewhere. 

Following Jesus has a specific destination in mind: Christlikeness. We aren’t called to go through life chasing the latest fad or mindlessly fulfilling one basic need after another. We are called to become more and more like Jesus. Our speech, our conduct, our business dealings, our leadership, and our relationships should all be aligned with the way of Jesus. This should be the singular pursuit of our lives. 

Arriving at this destination means we learn to resist temptation. One of the earliest stories in the Bible tells how Adam and Eve were tempted to pursue the wrong goal for the wrong reasons. They were curious to know if what the serpent said was true, and as we all know, curiosity killed the cat. 

In the book of James, we are called to keep our focus on the destination: “...Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (James 4:7-8) I love the promise that God will come near to us if we keep the focus of our lives on him. 

This Sunday we’ll finish out the “Life Hacks” series by hearing what James has to say about resisting temptation and pursuing Christlikeness. 

I also want to encourage you to be a part of our Ash Wednesday service next week (2/14) at 6:30pm. Pastor Jonathan Acre will be preaching, leading us in this service of repentance as we begin the season of lent. 

Until He’s Finished,
Pastor Mark  

P.S. If you want to wear Chiefs gear to church this Sunday, I prayed about it and have clarity from the Lord that this is a good and right thing to do.

P.S.S. The timing of Ash Wednesday is perfect as I plan to eat more than I should on Sunday night watching the Chiefs win the Super Bowl. Go Chiefs!